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“I finally did what the instructions said on the packet. I just didn’t believe that something that is so similar to a green tea could need the brewing instructions they gave it: boiling water...”
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From Leaf

This is a very delicate, light, velvety tea, slightly sweet.
This rare tea belongs to the yellow tea family, a cousin of green and white teas. Yellow tea is not a new fad, it goes back 4000 years in China! Yellow tea often used to be reserved for Chinese emperors’ very own consumption. In fact it is believed that the name ‘yellow’ may have come not just from the colour of the tea but also the colour worn by emperors…This tea is made of only young buds, flattened and stretched to give it its distinctive yellow shine. Yellow tea is believed to be very rich in antioxidants.

Preparation instructions are available on the pack.

For those who like the details: this yellow tea is a Wei Shan Mao Jian from the province of Hunan in China.

5 Tasting Notes

I finally did what the instructions said on the packet. I just didn’t believe that something that is so similar to a green tea could need the brewing instructions they gave it: boiling water (leave water to stand for 30 secs before pouring) and twenty minutes to brew. After all, I’m used to sencha, that often needs under a minute with 70-75 degC water.

But I have always found this tea very mild and pale, so I was curious what would happen when I actually followed the instructions. The instructions said that the tea tastes okay after 5 minutes but best after 20, so I put it in a pot with a tea cosy to keep it warm, and had a cup after 5 minutes and left the rest brewing for a bit longer.

The five-minute cup was still very pale, and mild tasting. It tasted no stronger than an unripe pear or melon. The taste that was there was nice, but it was so pale that I could easily taste the water it was brewed with rather than just the tea. Unfortunately, water in this area tastes pretty horrible, so it wasn’t pleasant.

After 20 minutes, it is much better, as the packet suggested. The tea never went bitter, it just tastes slightly grassy but with a flavour that I can only describe as being interesting. By which I mean that it’s not exactly the same as any green tea I have had, there’s something individual about it. And I like that.

The tea company was right and I have paid the price for being so stubborn and independent not to follow their advice. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had other good cups of this tea, but I was missing out a bit by not brewing it properly